from Daniel Friedman of CBSNewYork,

Just as the wheels appeared to be falling off, the New York Islanders pulled over to the side, brought out their toolbox and, sure enough, got back on the road.

All you had to do was look up and down that roster to see that, as I said last week, their wounds were self-inflicted. The Isles were beating themselves and were capable of a lot better.

Well, they showed that by taking two of the best teams in the NHL past regulation and then beating them in overtime and a shootout, respectively. Those wins were much needed, considering they were coming off three straight losses, but getting them was a daunting task. To the Isles’ credit, they took care of business.

“We were tired there in the third, but we hung with it, stuck with the game plan and we really just kind of gutted it out and got a gutty win,” winger Kyle Okposo said following the 2-1 shootout win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. “The last two games were huge for us. We got a big win last night, and to come in and play back-to-back in Southern California is not an easy thing to do.”

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